How To Reduce Bounce Rate

The success of any website is measured by visitor numbers and how that links up with conversion rates. However, there is one aspect of measuring success that is often a difficult one for businesses and that is known as bounce rate. When you see the words low bounce rate, it is always pleasing, but the words high bounce rate is where the concerns begin to creep in.

What is a website bounce?

The bounce rate is the percentage of bounces that your website receives, but what is a bounce? Any business is all about generating sales via a website but sometimes, a visitor will arrive and will instantly leave – this is known as a bounce.

It simply means a visitor that enters a website via one age and then leaves via that same page. The rate is then calculated using the number of entrances to the site for every single page, and without confusing things, if a visitor entered via one page and left via another, this is known as an exit rate – the two are very different.

There are many reasons why someone might ‘bounce’ from your website. They might experience broken links, the speed at which pages load or even the content. There are many things that entice a visitor to remain at your site but there are also a number of things that can turn them away and so, getting it right is crucial to success.

What is a Good bounce rate?

Bounce rates can differ depending on the content of the website. If you have a landing page, that is also a holding page, the bounce rate would be 100% because that is a single page that is held on that domain. This gives visitors only one option – to enter and leave via the same page and so, a high bounce rate is seen.

Often, blog posts will have a high bounce rate because all of the content that the visitor wants is on one page. However, in contrast to this, an online store will experience a low bounce rate, because visitors won’t stick to one web page, they will spend time browsing and so, they tend to spend more time on sites that offer products.

The general rule of thumb is that a bounce rate of 40%-50% is considered average. If it is over 50% then it is considered to be high, under 40% and that is seen to be low. Still, there are many other factors that play into this, so it is always worth looking at all data sources to determine the real outcome.

How to Reduce Bounce Rate.

Improve Content & Avoid Popups.

There are two things that visitors despise, poor content and annoying popups. When someone lands on your website, these are two things that they do not want to see.
So, content is king as they say and that is very true because if you do not provide them with content that is readable, they will go elsewhere. Good bounce rates are linked to content that is legible, readable and engaging.

Visitors no longer want large chunks of text because they have other things to do and so, smaller, bite-size chunks simply work, fail to do this and you will never reduce bounce rates. Websites that have large headlines, subheadings and then bullet points are much more welcoming to readers before finishing with a call to action. This enables them to extract the information they need and that will help to retain them and increase page views throughout your site.

Popups seem to have gone full circle. Back in the early days of mass internet usage, popups would cause your PC to freeze and so, websites realised that this put visitors off, so everyone worked together to stop them. However, they are back with a vengeance. Businesses are now using them to enhance subscriptions and obtain email addresses which is great in some instances but when it comes to bounce rates, popups certainly drives the number upwards. If businesses and brands want to create a site that generates organic visitors then limiting or avoiding popups will make a significant difference.

Create a Call-to-Action & tell a Story.

A successful call-to-action is one that is instantly recognisable and takes visitors less than three seconds to find. Attracting visitors to your website via search engines and external links is all well and good but you don’t want to lose them with a non-existent call-to-action. Therefore, the call-to-action should entice and compel your visitors to take a look. If you make your call-to-action work, you will see a significant reduction in your bounce rates.

As a brand, you should know your audience and what they want. Therefore, you should look to tell a story that captivates them. If you get this right, customers will remember it and respond to it. Visitors are no longer about reading text, instead, they scan it in the hope that something relevant will jump out at them. This could be a specific word an image or even a subheading. These elements can then bring your readers to the rest of your content because you are telling them a story.

The whole idea behind storytelling is to make it clear that the customer comes first. To do this, you need to provide them with content that is beneficial to them. If they take action, then you have done your job, if they share your content and story then they trust you. That will help to drive those bounce rates down. Throughout all of this, you have to ensure that you are honest. Look at things from the perspective of your customers and gain an understanding of what they want. Whatever you do, do not lie. That will instantly remove any trust they had and any credibility you had.

Keep the content Fresh.

A website that looks stale and out of date will certainly drive people away and a good bounce rate will never be achieved. Regardless of whether you are a blog or a website that sells products, keeping content fresh is key to keeping visitors engaged. Adding content that is new and exciting will show you are moving forward and that will build trust between you and your visitors. Once you get this right, you will find that your bounce rates drop and your brand becomes even more popular.

We live in a world where your visitors have high expectations. They know what they want and they know that if they cannot find it, there is another brand out there that is offering it. Bounce rates are a great indicator of how your website is performing. So, doing all the right things and keeping your visitors engaged will ensure that you bounce rates remain low.